Category: Bedford

Local businesses are being invited to attend a police-led session focused on how to respond to increasing cyber security risks.

The event, part of the Bedford Breakfast Club series, will take place on Wednesday 20 May at Bedfordshire Golf Club. Alexandra Rowlands, from the Cyber Protect & Prevent team at Bedfordshire Police, will lead the session, outlining current threats and practical steps organisations can take to strengthen their resilience.

The discussion will cover areas including threat intelligence, cyber preparedness and business continuity. As digital risks continue to affect organisations of all sizes, the session is intended to help businesses better understand where they may be exposed and how to respond.

The Bedford Breakfast Club has been running for more than a decade and brings together businesses from across Bedford, Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. Held on the third Wednesday of each month, the events combine networking with speaker-led sessions focused on issues affecting day-to-day business operations.

Business MK has also come on board as media partner, supporting wider awareness of the events and the businesses involved.

Kerry Ransby, events manager in the marketing and business development team at Woodfines Solicitors, said: “Cyber security remains a key concern for many organisations, regardless of size or sector. This session is designed to give businesses a clearer understanding of the risks they face and the practical steps they can take to reduce them. The Bedford Breakfast Club continues to provide a useful forum for businesses to connect and stay informed.”

The event is supported by Woodfines Solicitors, Forvis Mazars and Metro Bank.

It runs from 7:45am to 9:15am, with tickets priced at £22, including breakfast.

Places can be booked via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bedford-breakfast-club-tickets-1988068163394?aff=oddtdtcreator

Construction workers at Sutton Lower School unearthed a remarkably preserved medieval brick and tile kiln in late 2024. This significant find, dating back to the 1400s, offers a glimpse into local industry and architecture. Image Credits: Albion Archaeology/Central Bedfordshire Council

The history always lies silently below the surface, and the Sutton Lower School is no exception. As only several months remained until the end of 2024, the crew responsible for constructing the new artificial grass field discovered some interesting artefacts buried below the ground level. Instead of the traditional layer of gravel or clay, they found red soil with old stones.Finally, a discovery made during the latter part of the Middle Ages managed to bridge Ancient Times and the dawn of Industrialisation. It didn’t take much time before people recognised the discovery for what it was, and they immediately called upon experts to investigate. As the year 2025 approached, a group of Albion Archaeology archaeologists began their excavation project, and it soon turned out that the mass of baked clay they had uncovered was not your typical earth formation. It was a kiln, one in excellent condition, and not a primitive one, but an impressive brick and tile kiln that burned hot.Uncovering a medieval production plantImmediately, outstanding preservation became the most striking thing about an industrial building of this age. According to the report by Albion Archaeology titled Exploring Bedfordshire’s Kilns: An Industry Revealed, this was due to the crucial role played by kilns in that era. Made up of layers of strong clay reinforced with the heat produced by the kiln itself, the Sutton kiln featured a flue created by medieval brickmakers more than half a millennium ago.The discovery provides a fascinating look at the local economy during the 1400s. As noted in the report published by Central Bedfordshire Council, the site was likely chosen because of its proximity to natural clay deposits and water. The kiln was not a lonely outpost; it was part of a larger network of production that helped modernise the local architecture of the time. Finding such a complete structure in a modern playground gave researchers a unique chance to see exactly how these ancient craftsmen managed their heat and materials.

Further excavations revealed evidence of Roman and Iron Age activity, showcasing the site’s long history of human use and manufacturing.

Below the oven, the team finds a collection of discarded items, which are nothing but pieces and relics telling their story. There are broken ceramics from the Middle Ages next to the burned bricks. They serve as guideposts for the excavator, showing that what looks like waste actually reveals the production process at this site. Therefore, through the discovery, it becomes clear that the site was not an empty field where the foundations of England were laid day and night.The heritage lying just beneath the surfaceOne of the striking features of the excavation is that it goes very deep into the surface layer. For years, children had been playing hide and seek just below the surface of a building constructed in the era of the Tudors. Similar to most of the UK soil, the area’s wet conditions preserve ashes and charcoal from the final medieval burning since the elements cannot be exposed to oxygen. Thus, the team was able to obtain samples of the fuel used in the final burning five hundred years ago.By early 2025, the site had become the object of a huge amount of interest from locals. According to the report of Central Bedfordshire Council, the discovery of the kiln led to further investigation, which unearthed layers dating back further than anyone had anticipated. Beneath the medieval layers, evidence of the Roman and Iron Age periods came to light, indicating that this small piece of land had been inhabited by humans and utilised for manufacturing purposes for almost two thousand years.What started as a mere assignment in school turned into a life-changing experience for us. It allowed us to see the signs left behind by our forebears lying dormant underneath our feet. When we unearthed the kiln and the artefacts buried in the playground of Sutton in 2024, we were reminded of the many historical events waiting to be discovered.

Police officers on electric bikes could become a regular sight as Hertfordshire Constabulary rolls out pilots across the county, in a bid to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

In the past, e-bikes have been associated with phone thefts and anti-social behaviour, but the force could soon “fight fire with fire”.

The constabulary is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future.

The developments were discussed at a meeting of the public health and community safety cabinet panel at Hertfordshire County Council offices on Thursday, April 23.

Cllr Matt Fisher (Green, St Albans Central), who sits on the police and crime panel, updated members about the most recent meeting held on February 5 at Stevenage Borough Council’s offices.

He said: “Residents were clear in their priorities; more neighbourhood policing, stronger road safety enforcement and tackling crimes like burglary and anti-social behaviour.”

Cllr Fisher also referred to a £1 million investment from Hertfordshire Constabulary alongside Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire’s forces, in a project for all three to collaborate with Palantir Technologies to trial advanced data sharing and AI technology.

He added: “There were also positive discussions around sustainability, including fleet electrification and the practical use of e-bikes in neighbourhood policing.”

Cllr Ben Crystall (Green, Hertford All Saints) asked: “We see e-bikes being used a lot, particularly in anti-social behaviour and crime. For all the fantastic things that they offer people for cycling, they’re also being used by people in ways to help their criminal activities.

“I just wondered whether we know if they are being used by the police widely? Because it would seem that perhaps you do need to have e-bikes to catch people with e-bikes.”

Cllr Fisher responded that he had raised the issue during the meeting, adding: “Clearly, it makes obvious sense in terms of not only phone thefts on scooters and indeed more recently on e-bikes, but also you need to fight fire with fire in the sense that e-bikes are part of that.

“They are rolling out pilot studies across the county, so yes…there was progress there.

“It shares the same concern of the electrification of actual vehicles… that’s the infrastructure, the ability to charge and so on. Obviously, shifts change, and yet the car is still there, so it’s not like they charge overnight like normal residents would do. So, there are a few teething issues, the infrastructure and of course, the associated costs.

“In terms of Palantir, we did delve into that, and there was some concern about the concept of AI more than Palantir, I have to say. That is, it will obviously be used to identify patterns rather than necessarily making outright decisions.

“The panel were very keen to press that the police should be using these tools and this technology, but not making decisions that aren’t either supervised or guided by human input.”

Cllr Colette Wyatt Lowe (Conservative, Hemel Hempstead North East) asked: “You referred to the expansion of middle management. In my experience, we often find that the expansion of a middle management team does not always achieve greater efficiency. I just wonder what the basis for this is? Residents really want to see more visible policing and more policemen on their streets.”

Cllr Fisher responded: “Yes, we did raise that point, and it comes down to operational resilience in the notion that the police force is targeting chief inspectors to give that experience and that mentorship to the younger police officers. We’re finding Hertfordshire has got quite a young police force, and so there lies some operational risk in that in terms of experience.”

Cllr Allison Wren (Lib Dem, Herts Rural), vice-chair of the committee, asked about aims for increased foot patrols and whether the panel expected to be given plans on how this would be achieved.

Cllr Fisher replied: “[We’re] not expecting to receive dedicated plans, but the conversation did expand to ‘what does it mean?’ More officers on the beat, and it’s a case of taking the administration out of the equation so that police officers are on the street doing patrols rather than in an office following up with paperwork.

“About 26 officer places, if you like, were sort of engineered from cost savings, so that’s an extra 26 police officers that have come about from a shuffle in reducing admin and getting them on the beat. That doesn’t come across too well for a whole county, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Elsewhere, Cllr Fisher also laid out the increase in the police precept of council tax. He said: “The panel approved a £15 increase to the police precept for 2026/27, and that’s taken a Band D property to £280 per year. This is the maximum allowed without a referendum driven by ongoing pressures, including pay, inflation and reduced reserves, which government funding does not fully offset.

“This will raise around £8.3 million, contributing to a £292 million policing budget, alongside the requirement to deliver nearly £7 million in savings, which obviously remains challenging.

“For residents, the impact is relatively modest, around two-thirds of households will pay around £15 or less per year, and the public consultation showed strong support with 68% in favour and over half willing to support a higher increase.”

Following years of careful preparation, the beavers are back in Bedfordshire (a county in the east of England). This is the first time in 400 years that these remarkable mammals have returned to the county’s rivers, marking a historic milestone for the area. Their presence is already demonstrating why the species is so vital for UK ecology.

About Britain’s Beavers

The UK beaver (Eurasian beaver) species is different from that found in the US. They look similar and lead similar lives, but the Eurasian beaver typically has fur that is a lighter shade of brown than its American cousins, and its tail is a little narrower.

Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) are found in riparian habitats, close to freshwater and surrounded by wetland plants and woodland. They are the largest rodent in Britain and weigh up to 80 pounds or so. Their most distinctive feature is their flat, scaly, paddle-shaped tail, which can be up to 13 inches long.

What Happened to Britain’s Beavers?

The Eurasian beaver has a chequered history in the UK and indeed in many parts of Europe. The species likely evolved in the early Pleistocene era, around 3 million years ago. During the late Pleistocene ice age, they apparently disappeared from much of Europe and Asia, but later rebounded as the climate warmed.

More recently, they have been hunted throughout the UK and Europe for their fur, meat, and castoreum (an exudate produced to mark their territory and which was traditionally used in perfumes). This took a heavy toll on populations, and the last sighting of a British beaver was recorded in Loch Ness in the 1500s. It is possible, however, that a few small, isolated populations survived into the 1700s. No further sightings of live beavers were recorded until 2002, when the first official reintroduction occurred at a fenced wetland site.

Where in the UK Have Beavers Been Reintroduced?

There have been several fenced enclosure trials of beaver reintroduction in the UK. Two licensed free-living populations can be found on the River Otter and in Knapdale, Scotland. Several additional licensed wild populations now exist as beaver reintroductions have expanded in recent years.

Also, there are likely unlicensed free-living populations elsewhere. In 2019, beavers were granted protected species status in Scotland, and in 2022, the UK government officially recognised them as a native species. Beavers are a protected species in the UK, so they cannot be culled there without a license.

Why Release Beavers in Britain?

Beavers are widely recognised as ecosystem engineers. This means they modify their environment to create habitats and resources for other species. Beavers live in riparian habitats—transitional areas between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In these partially wetland and partially woodland areas, they eat vegetation such as rhizomes, pondweed, ferns, and grasses.

In the winter, however, they switch to wood and tree bark. They prefer deep, slow-moving rivers or lakes, and if they can’t find them, they will create their own!

To do this, they build dams to slow down the flow of water and dig burrows into the riverbank. Alternatively, they will construct a ‘lodge’ from wood, twigs, and soil, where the beavers can hide from predators.

The Bedfordshire Beaver Release

The beavers have been released at Southill Estate in Bedfordshire under a Natural England license. It has taken two years to obtain the license and to prepare a purpose-built enclosure. The work was carried out in partnership with the Beaver Trust. The news release on their website describes how they “led on the [license] application, co-designed the main release pond, coordinated trapping operations, and oversaw the safe transfer of animals to [the] site.”

The estate team and specialist contractors carried out many modifications to create a suitable habitat, including pond creation, willow planting, and restoring a more natural hydrological flow and habitat complexity to an existing ditch.

During the first stage of the release, an adult male and two kits that had been humanely trapped under license from Scotland were introduced. A few days later, an adult female was introduced, who had spent 14 months being prepared for independent living at the Wildwood Trust.

Beavers and Land Management

The beaver release is part of a broader commitment to manage the land so that there is space for nature alongside productive land use. The project aims to achieve ecological restoration, which brings drought resilience to the wider estate. Bedfordshire is one of the driest counties in England.

When beavers build dams, they also create a mosaic of wetland habitats, including pools, channels, and standing deadwood. This process retains water in the landscape, benefiting both humans and wildlife. It also reduces peak water flows, lowering the risk of downstream flooding.

The benefits are already apparent: grey partridges are being seen in greater numbers, along with increases in wading birds, songbirds, and invertebrate communities.

This new beaver community will be closely monitored. Future offspring may even be trapped and relocated to additional licensed reintroduction sites.

The post England’s First Bedfordshire Beavers in 400 Years Are Already Changing the Land appeared first on A-Z Animals.

A man in his 20s has died after his car was in collision with a lorry.

The accident happened at 17:10 BST on Sunday on the A412 Denham Way at the junction with Old Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

The driver of a Skoda Octavia was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin have been informed.

Det Con Felicity Walker, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, appealed for any witnesses to get in touch.

She said: "If you were driving at the time and have a dash cam fitted, please check it in case you recorded any crucial footage."

Following the crash the lorry driver remained at the scene to assist officers with inquiries.

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A police force dealing with a surge in calls said almost a sixth were not appropriate – including complaints about barking dogs and loud music.

Bedfordshire Police handled 4,000 more calls last month compared with March last year, with the vast majority made to the 101 non-emergency number.

Most were “completely appropriate”, the force said, but about 15% were 999 calls for non-urgent matters or 101 calls for non-police issues, including bad parking.

“When there are 999 calls that are inappropriate or not emergencies, it takes up that call handler’s capacity to answer perhaps another 999 call in the queue,” said Supt Lee Haines.

A woman whose cat was hit four times by air gun pellets is calling for the weapons to be banned or used only with a licence.

The mother-of-three, from Houghton Regis, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said she noticed Tommy’s injuries on 6 April.

She said the two-year-old had pellets lodged just above his right eye, in his chest, behind his front left leg and by his spine, and he needed surgery to have them removed.

A government spokesperson said: “Firearms controls are kept under constant review to keep the public safe.”

“I feel I can’t go in my garden anymore with my children,” the woman said.

“I’m terrified… My children are very upset.”

She said that after she posted details of the incident on social media, she had been told of other incidents in the area, with another cat, a window and a car also reportedly hit.

Tommy was expected to make a full recovery following surgery to have the pellets removed.

“I would like these guns to be banned or used only with a licence, [so in] cases of misuse the culprit [can] be found quickly,” she said.

Insp Richard Cunningham, of Bedfordshire Police, said: “We encourage anyone with information about this incident, or any other concerns in the area, to report it to us.

“These reports help us to build a fuller picture of what is happening in our neighbourhoods and allow us to take action, address issues and disrupt criminal behaviour at an early stage.”

A certificate is not needed for air weapons for people aged 18 or over in England or Wales. However, it is illegal for people younger than that to buy or hire an air weapon or ammunition for one, and it is an offence to knowingly cause a pet to suffer unnecessarily.

A government spokesperson said: “Firearms controls are kept under constant review to keep the public safe. Air weapon owners must store them safely away from children, and more powerful weapons require a licence.

“The government takes animal welfare seriously and anyone who misuses air weapons against animals or wildlife is liable to be prosecuted.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We continue to call for tighter controls on air weapons.

“This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop, could help relieve the problem.”

The RSPCA said that between 2022 and 2024 it had received 497 reports of air guns, catapults and crossbows being used to target animals.

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As fans wait to tune in the first episode, here’s everything you need to know about the six teams taking part.

The Neighbourhood starts Friday, April 24 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX

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